Search - Yoko Kanno :: 23 Ji No Ongaku

Jazzy goodness from a show I've never seen

Hao Ye | La Jolla, CA | 03/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"23 ji no ongaku is the actual title. (in case Amazon doesn't take my request to correct the title. Kanno Yoko Feat. Sakamoto Maaya is actually the full artist name.
Literally translated, the title is "music of the 23rd hour". I've seen it marketed as the soundtrack to The Other Side of Midnight, a Japanese show that aired in April of 2002. I bought this cd to round out my Maaya Sakamoto collection. (It has a few songs sung by her that aren't found elsewhere) If you've ever heard any of Yoko Kanno's other albums, you know that her work is both excellent and diverse. (in terms of style) Since this was my first album of Yoko Kanno's for which I had not seen the related anime, I was surprised at how rich it was, even without the visual nostalgia that comes along with listening to a movie or anime soundtrack. The vocal songs are all in English, with the exception of the 8th track, which is not in any real language as far as I can tell. As far as Yoko Kanno's albums go, this one is one of my favorites. Overall, the music is great, but like many of Yoko Kanno's soundtracks, there are the few tracks here and there that makes you wonder "what the heck is she thinking?" But of course, any genius is going to be a little kooky, right?The full track listing can be found pretty easily if you google the album. You can probably find the album cheaper elsewhere or by importing it yourself. The list price is 1500 yen, which is roughly $13.78 at the current rate of ~108.9 yen per dollar, but hey, you didn't come to Amazon for the cheap import cd's, right?"

Another gem from Ms Kanno

wildflowr | Plano, TX United States | 01/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a joy this CD is! I love all of Kanno's work and I have a particular soft spot for her work with Maaya Sakamoto (who has a voice as crystal clear as an angel). Although, actually, there isn't a single track that disappoints. I really couldn't improve on Hao Ye's review so I'll just say I totally agree - including the part about trying to find it at a lower price than Amazon's current $40 listing. Not that it's not worth every penny, but, gee ...



However, I'm saddened that one of the reviewers has chosen to spread his aspertions through the reviews, so I want to throw out a counterpoint for consideration. Many artists - visual, audial or otherwise - do not create in a vacuum but get inspiration from outside sources. They may not even know they're thinking of something they saw/heard at some point in their life when they create. This is understood and accepted to the point that there are laws governing plagiarism and copyright which allow latitude for some similarities. Edison was not the only person who was working on the light bulb and Bell was far from the only person developing the telephone.



Sorry to go on so long but I thought it important to explain that it is NOT plagiarism if you have to go two whole minutes into a song to hear a similarity to another song. Just thought it needed saying.



On a more positive note, I've enjoyed this CD so much that I'm going to go get the anime!

"